Project Cecil: Save 1 for me!

Fahoo foray… the grinch has got her way.

The rescue is closed, the dogs are all gone. The animals packed up… the property is still. There is no barking in U-Ville.

Tomorrow is Christmas, it’s practically here… there will be no noise, no barking girls and boys. There’s nothing she hated more than the noise, noise, noise, noise.

My name is not Cindy Lou Who, It’s Lorna Good. I feel quite a bit more like Little Piggie number 1 anyway, trying to keep all my squeals to a minimum as they huff and they puff and they blow our house down. My students and I began helping African wild animals in 2015 after the illegal murder of Cecil the Lion in 2015. After realizing how little we were doing, we began helping local animals in 2019 and started rescuing animals locally much to my neighbors chagrin. (By chagrin, I mean absolute hatred.)

When we began prepping the property that we bought specifically for rescue 5 years ago, they, “the neighbors” called us and asked what we would be putting in there. This seemed oddly specific to me and I remember actually laughing, thinking it was a joke. It wasn’t a joke. They went on to tell me that they would prefer that we do not put dogs in fenced in property and went on to say that, we “prefer you put your horses and ponies in there.”

We put every penny into making the rescue property fully functioning and secure. Every inch of the property was fenced. When I say every penny, I mean every penny. We had gates at every turn and enclosures going into and out of each enclosure so we could get in and out without dogs escaping.

We purchased a kennel and put it right behind the house, thinking that if there was any barking, we would be the first to hear it and be able to calm the pups if need be. This was actually great thinking. We knew when our dogs were barking. Not only that, if the kennel pups began barking, our own dogs responded in the house sometimes even before we heard the pups in the kennel so we always knew if something was going on. Of course, when fox, coyote, deer and other wildlife wandered onto the property, there was no “calming” to be done. We did live in the country.

We purchased a “dog house” simply for their luxury, a home away from home. It’s a mini log cabin with lazy boys for the dogs, couches, dog beds and their very own front window to peer out of with attached porches to laze about on, complete with doggie patio furniture crafted and donated by one of our absolute favorite patrons. We put it in their play yard. (Side note: Unfortunately, we ran out of funds during move, transporting animals and kennel cost more than we imagined and dog house is still awaiting transport and sitting on old property.)

We took in dogs that were surrendered, dumped, abandoned, hospice, terminal, bait dogs, death row dogs, dogs from local shelters and rescues that needed help, young pregnant mama’s, mama’s with pups, pups without mama’s, sick puppies, distemper puppies, puppies we couldn’t save but we tried and it killed us puppies. You name it, we took them…

We helped Knox and Licking County whenever possible.

We are a registered 501c3. We had several areas fenced in for various different groups of intake. We even did an area specifically for all friendly dogs to be able to play in together. This area was never able to be utilized as it was intended because as it turns out dogs bark when they play together and that is not allowed in the country village of U-Ville, at least if your neighbor is the Grinch.

We were forced out of our home and not because our dogs barked, like they would have you believe. They loved to tell everyone that listened that our dogs barked 24/7. (They also told people that they barked for 1/2 hour increments.) Those are two very different statements. One of them is the truth. The dogs will bark during feeding time, as they await their turn and kennel cleaning time. We used to put the dogs in their side yard to play during kennel cleaning time, but… well, I am sure you can guess what dogs do during play time. Regardless, we have 24 hour surveillance on the property and our dogs are not the ones doing the barking and we have some incredible surveillance footage of the neighbors incessant barkkk… uh em… harassment.

When their hateful calls, screams, texts started coming in, we brought the most anxious pups inside our house, bought bark collars for every dog, continued playing music 24/7 and had sound panels installed in kennel. None of that mattered because we still let our rescues out to play in the country- how dare us! (They even posted the cutest video of two of the rescues that had been dropped off the night before by local EMS playfully barking at the ponies and told us to worry about “our own barking dogs” as I had been sharing a local lost dog. Super cute video, but I had to block them so video vanished, but not before I saved it into evidence, of course!

I suffer from vestibular migraines. Their constant harassment has been so bad that I now have intense anxiety that has elevated the intensity and severity of the migraines. They have specifically targeted me, despite the fact that I flat out refuse to engage them and have not responded to their screams and taunts, “NO ONE LIKES YOU HERE, NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE.” The anxiety has been so bad that I have had mild panic attacks and have not wanted to be outside unless my kids or Tom are able to be outside with me.

The screaming occurs if they see me, during adoptions, meet and greets, when children and families visit and once when an adoption was happening with a Cleveland Browns Staff member things became so bad that they repeatedly sped to a squealing stop, screaming something about how I only come outside to, “sell animals” they then sped away, returned, did the same, said the same, sped away… returned, did it again and sped away once more. It was so intense that I worried my son who was also outside, would lose his composure, despite my coaching. Thankfully, he did nothing. If my family had their way. Words would be said. Many, many, many words would be said. We do not sell animals. We rescue, rehabilitate, vet, vet families, match and hold adoptions, reunions and daily celebrations for these pups.

But because of their frequent outbursts, I have had to stop allowing student/family visits, which is heartbreaking for both the animals and the students because I know how much everyone gets from the interactions but my families do not deserve to hear that any more than the animals themselves. I have given no one any explanation as to why I have stopped these visits. I have chosen to take the high road. I have said nothing to anyone … until now.

It’s one thing to be yelled at to the point of panic attacks. It’s one thing to be able to ignore someone’s blatant hatred towards you. It’s one thing to be able to keep your head up high and know what you are doing is good and noble and done out of love for these animals but it’s another to have everything you have ever fought for your entire life … attacked. It’s another to have your integrity questioned and those that you love most illustrated through the eyes of an enemy who only wants to bring you down and see you suffer for their own selfish glory. What kind of person does that?

These people who have resorted to playing murderous sounds of animals, being beaten tortured and possibly killed whenever people visit us, clearly know who I am and what I am about and know that animals are my world and yet they post lies, slander, libel and defame us on our pages and google reviews for what purpose? To put an end to the rescue? To put an end to all of the dogs that we have helped?

Perhaps and perhaps they have won.

I have never in my life lived with anxiety and I now have a whole new scope of understanding. It may not be a gift I wanted this Christmas but I fully intend to use it to my advantage, to understand and help others. I know where I have found peace in my anxiousness and it is with the animals they so despise. My aim is to at least find the remainder of them homes where they will be loved and cherished.

I could no longer live next to a raging, ranting, screaming grinch of a person and her husband who throw words like stones and sit back in their glass house knowing they are perfectly safe and content because I am not like them.

I gave it all up for you… Merry Christmas, Mr. & Mrs. Grinch in U-Ville. May your days be merrier without ME.

After looking for a home for over two years and not finding anything that was rescue ready, we jumped when we found a house and property that we knew we could eventually make into a rescue.

However, it has cost us everything getting the kennel and animals transported to the new property and we have officially run out of funding.

You would think that these neighbors would be joyous as they watched us attempt to stuff our steer and ponies into trailers and head on down the road but no, even then they make an attempt to post more libel on google review. I have screenshots and recordings of everything. I have reported everything and started legal action. I am tired. I have videos of the boys from the day we left. The day their peering eyes watched from their back porch as we loaded our beloved pets from the property they so loved.

So before anyone decides to believe their slanderous lies, I suggest you check out our actual videos and pictures on our pages or better still come out and see them for yourself now that we are in a safe location. The steer were bottle fed and hand raised with love and welcome anyone bringing them cuddles, scratches and bananas. The animals are all people friendly, so long as the screaming is kept to a minimum.

While we have moved them to a slightly larger property, we have put so much into the move that the cost of fencing the place in has totally escaped us.

So yes, we might just be done. That was not our intention, but we can only do so much at this point. It cost thousands to transport the kennel and animals to their new location.

So this year the Grinch may just have stolen our Christmas. There are no presents, no ribbons, no wrappings…at least for us, but those pups all have stockings filled with tasty treats, toys and blankets because people know what we have done for our animals and have sent lots of goodies for these babies so they will not be missing out on anything and their Christmas will be filled with love!

If you could find it in your heart to help keep the rescue alive we need you desperately and any dollar amount is appreciated. Did I say dollar? Pennies are appreciated!

We need:

$6000 to initiate fencing contract and $4000 when construction begins. (So, that’s $10,000 just to get started) and another $6000 immediately when finished. So basically the first 1/2 is due right away and the remaining $15,000 balance would be due and split over 6 months.

All funds raised would be used for the immediate construction of a fence similar to the one we left behind in U-Ville. The safety and security of these animals is our number one priority.